28 year old could be Chelsea’s Van Dijk – why Blues could tear up transfer policy for veteran | OneFootball

Chelsea’s new sporting directors have built a really solid squad with effectively two full teams able to compete on two fronts at once.

There’s loads of depth – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t areas to improve. Centre back is a perfect example. There is so much talent there: Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile… and that’s before you even get onto the academy talents and players on loan.

But from that group, there is not one player who is an established, world class central defender you can hang your hat on. The talent isn’t in doubt, but the reliability and leadership of an elite veteran isn’t there. Plenty of talent, but probably not a title winning rock at the back to build a team around.

So it’s no surprise we get linked to defenders regularly – especially those a little older and ready to be “our Virgil van Dijk.”

Jonathan Tah in action for Bayer Leverkusen (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Tah could be Chelsea’s experienced centre-piece

The latest name that comes up a lot is Jonathan Tah, perhaps because his contract is running out next summer, meaning he’s going to be available for free.

According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea are going to make Tah “one of their top targets,” although his free agent status means there’s likely going to be a feeding frenzy for the Bayer Leverkusen star.

He’s 28, has just won the title and is ready for a big move where he can slot in somewhere ready for success. Chelsea could be the perfect desintation.

It’s true that his age profile and likely wage demands mean he’s not a natural fit for our current model, but as we saw with Tosin this summer, a free agent signing changes the equation quite a lot, and given how stocked the squad is with younger talent now, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more veterans sprinkled in next summer.